Circa 1954 My sister and I will always share a Big Sis, Lil Sis bond, despite a thirteen-year age difference. As a toddler, Big Sis was the source of my first, and countless other, piggyback rides. She’d lug me around the neighbourhood, showing me off to her friends, while looking after me for our … More Big Sis, Lil Sis
I’ll always remember you as a gift, a gift unlike any other This gift was pure and self-less, this gift was you, his mother I’ll always remember your warm embrace the first day that we met You welcomed me with loving arms and a smile I’ll never forget I’ll always remember you stepping up to … More A Priceless Gift
In my last post on breakfast tapas I suggest zucchini latkes to complete the meal and promised a recipe. While attempting to create my version of latkes I discovered a variety of not only ingredients for these tasty pan fried indulgences but for the names of them as well. Google told me that a frittata is … More Frittata? Fritters? Pancakes? Latkes? How About Frittater-cakes?
Penny pinching When I find a penny I always think of my dear old dad. Dad took great pride in running a penny drive at the care home where he lived. It made him feel useful, gave him something to talk about and a reason to get up everyday. You could ask him at … More Pennies From Heaven
“A mother’s love for her child is the same all over the world. It is the gift of life, and all other gifts are reflections of it.” (Edna Hibel) As I reflect upon my voyage as a mom, I remember with great affection my first role models. When it came to mothering, both my … More A Mother’s Love is the Gift of Life
Mind clutter is really just ego screaming in my face I’ve carried a great deal of ‘mind clutter’ around with me lately. It has kept me awake at night, depriving me of much needed sleep. Mind clutter, that negative self-talk, often holds me hostage—stuck in a place I don’t want to be. This mind clutter … More My Mind is My Garden
Reposted from May 2013 in support of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month I wrote the following article which was published in the Vancouver Sun on Monday, November 8th, 1993 titled: Deciding What is Best for Mother Recently, my mother went to the hospital to undergo a series of tests. I found myself spending a great deal of … More January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
Prior to writing I often engage in the ritual of distraction. This stems from my teaching days and writing report cards. I’d clean the house, do all the laundry, organize files, clean out closets, and empty the refrigerator. You get the idea. It was a mindless workout. Once I’d completed the ritual I was able … More Kettle of Fish
I recently came across a website of vintage Christmas ornaments. I’ve never thought of myself as ‘vintage’, even at 60 but when I recognized many of the ornaments I was taken back to one of my earliest Christmas recollections. It was 1959. I was five. My mother had made me a red velvet Christmas dress. … More Christmas Memories
“Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty. I see a glass that’s twice as big as it needs to be.” ― George Carlin – Most often I go about my day without even thinking, literally, about what I am thinking. When caught unaware, negative, self-defeating thoughts have opportunity to make … More Glass Half Empty or Glass Half Full
Gramma Gaga 